Hearing the voice, Wen Lan turned around and saw a cute little girl. She had bangs framing both sides of her forehead, and on her cheeks were the distinctive inverted red triangle markings of the Inuzuka clan.
This was Inuzuka Hana—the older sister of the future Konoha Twelve member, Inuzuka Kiba.
"Hana."
The coldness on Wen Lan's face finally melted, replaced by a gentle smile.
Inuzuka Hana hurried over, looking at him with clear concern.
"I heard you guys were attacked at night. Are you okay?"
"See? I'm standing here just fine," Wen Lan replied with a smile, reaching out to rest his hand on her head and lightly ruffle her hair.
Hana bit her lip softly. A trace of stubbornness flashed in her eyes before she looked up at him again.
"But… I was still worried."
Her voice trembled slightly, yet it was filled with sincerity.
Wen Lan chuckled. "Then you're not worried about your dad?"
"My dad's a jōnin!" Hana lifted her chin proudly. "It won't be that easy for something to happen to him."
Her father was Inuzuka Ya.
Wen Lan smiled softly. "That confidence really runs in the family."
Just as he spoke, a burst of barking came from afar, breaking the warm atmosphere between them.
A large gray dog came charging over and leapt straight onto Wen Lan, licking his face enthusiastically.
"Alright, alright—pfft! If you keep licking me, I'll stew you!"
Wen Lan pushed the dog's head aside.
The dog—Akamaru—showed no fear at all. Instead, he wagged his tail happily, tongue lolling out.
Wen Lan and Hana's acquaintance had actually been an accident.
Once, Akamaru had secretly slipped out to play and fallen into a trap, breaking his leg. Wen Lan happened to be training nearby and rescued him.
From then on, Akamaru became especially attached to Wen Lan, often sneaking out of the Inuzuka household to look for him.
Later, noticing that Akamaru was rarely at home, Hana secretly followed him one day—and that was how she met Wen Lan.
At the time, Wen Lan and Hana were classmates at the Ninja Academy. Because of the Uchiha clan's reputation, Wen Lan rarely spoke much.
Everyone knew the Uchiha were blessed with looks—handsome men, beautiful women.
Aside from the rare few who "grew crooked," they were all strikingly good-looking.
From that point on, Hana and Wen Lan gradually became close. Wen Lan often took care of Akamaru, treating his minor injuries.
Their relationship quietly deepened. On the surface, things seemed the same as before, but in their hearts, an unspoken bond had formed.
Akamaru was set back on the ground, wagging his tail as he circled the two of them happily.
Watching Akamaru's cheerful, Wen Lan's lips curved upward slightly.
"Alright, Hana. I'm heading back to take a bath. I haven't washed in days—I stink."
"Pfft—no way it's that bad," Hana laughed. Still, she didn't refuse.
"Then remember to come find me to play."
"Alright."
Wen Lan turned and walked toward his home. Sunlight fell across his back, stretching his shadow long across the ground.
The Uchiha district was unusually quiet. Most of the clan members had been sent to the battlefield, leaving the area looking rather desolate.
Occasionally, elderly clan members or children passed by, smiling warmly and greeting Wen Lan.
To the elders, anyone who returned alive from the battlefield had snatched a life back from the hands of death.
Wen Lan lived in a courtyard that had once belonged to his parents.
A year ago, his father, Uchiha Li, passed away from illness. Not long after, his mother followed—her health failing from overwhelming grief.
Though they hadn't died on the battlefield, Wen Lan—an orphan in his previous life—had experienced true parental love in this world. Their deaths had devastated him and led to the awakening of his Sharingan.
The illness his father suffered from was Bloodline Disease.
During the Second Shinobi World War, Uchiha Li's squad had carried out a secret mission but was ambushed and hunted down.
They fled for three days and three nights, sending repeated distress calls—appealing even to nearby outposts that should have housed allied ninja.
Not a single reinforcement arrived.
Excessive use of the Sharingan triggered Bloodline Disease, forcing Uchiha Li to withdraw from the battlefield thereafter.
Later investigations revealed the truth.
It was Shimura Danzō colluding with the enemy—his aim being to eliminate both the Uchiha and Senju clans on the battlefield. The nearby outposts had failed to respond because Danzō had personally issued the order.
Very few people knew the full story.
In the end, the Third Hokage stepped in and offered compensation to the Uchiha. Coupled with Uchiha Fugaku's weakness, the matter was quietly buried.
The courtyard was ringed with cherry blossom trees. As the breeze passed through, petals drifted down like silent snow.
Not far away was a small pond, where a few fish swam merrily.
Wen Lan pushed open the wooden door. The familiar scent of wood, mixed with a hint of dust, greeted him.
The furnishings inside were simple and tidy. His gaze fell upon a photo in the corner of the living room—a family portrait of him and his parents, their smiles frozen in a springtime moment from the previous year.
He gently set his ninja blade on the table and murmured,
"Today… I can finally get some real rest."
He filled a wooden tub with water, carried it into the courtyard, stripped, and sank into it.
Leaning back comfortably, he gazed up at the drifting clouds and the beautiful cherry blossoms. Petals fell onto the water's surface, spreading gentle ripples.
Wen Lan closed his eyes, letting the warm sunlight wash over him, as if it could dispel all his fatigue.
As he soaked, Inuzuka Hana's smile surfaced in his mind—brighter than the cherry blossoms filling the courtyard.
Then his face suddenly fell.
Utterly exasperated, he said,
"Hey—big sister! I'm bathing here! You don't even knock?!"
"Tch. The tub's so tall I can't see anything anyway."
A red-haired woman hopped down from the courtyard wall.
This was Uzumaki Kushina, famously known as 'Red Hot-Blooded Habanero.'
She planted her hands on her hips beneath the cherry tree.
"And another thing—I'm your mom's friend. You're calling me 'big sister'? Is that appropriate?"
"Then what should I call you? Little sister?" Wen Lan pouted.
Wen Lan's father, Uchiha Li, had been the Third Elder of the Uchiha clan. His mother, Uchiha Shu, had been close friends with Uchiha Mikoto, and naturally acquainted with Kushina as well.
"You brat—your mouth's still as sharp as ever!" Kushina snorted, though she wasn't actually angry.
"I'll wait outside. Come eat at my place later."
With that, she leapt back over the wall.
Before her death, Wen Lan's mother had entrusted Kushina with looking after him.
Kushina had honored that request. Even Mikoto had once wanted to take Wen Lan in as an adopted son—but he had refused.
As a result, Wen Lan rarely cooked at home and often went to the Uchiha clan head's house to freeload meals.
Wen Lan shook his head helplessly, stood up, and used chakra to dry himself before changing into clean clothes and heading out.
After only a few steps, he saw a graceful figure walking toward him.
Unsurprised, Wen Lan greeted her.
"Aunt Mikoto."
Uchiha Mikoto smiled gently.
"Wen Lan, come eat at my place tonight."
"Uh… Aunt Kushina just came by. I'm heading to her house now. Want to come together?"
"That works," Mikoto replied without hesitation.
The two walked side by side toward Kushina's home.
Hands in his pockets, Wen Lan asked casually,
"Aunt Mikoto—where are the clan head and Itachi?"
Mikoto's eyes dimmed slightly. She sighed.
"Fugaku insisted on sending Itachi to the battlefield. I couldn't stop him."
Wen Lan was a little surprised.
He had only been away from the village for about half a month—yet Itachi had already gone to the battlefield, despite being only four years old.
Then Wen Lan understood.
Itachi's trip to the battlefield was precisely what planted the seeds of his future psychological fracture.